The Sand and The Stars
by wulfgrl58
Summary: Jori oneshot. Jade and Tori are reunited after Jade leaves for the Army. Requested by a Tumblr user.


Jade hated the desert. Like, _really _hated it. The scorching sun, the lack of humidity, the _sand_. But the worst part about being in this particular desert was that her girlfriend wasn't in it. Jade had been stationed in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan for 18 grueling months, keeping the thinly veiled peace that had been created there out of the blood, sweat, and tears of her fellow soldiers. And now, finally, she got to go home.

_Home_. it was almost a foreign word to her. In high school, "home" had meant that big empty house she slept in sometimes. And after high school, once she had finally admitted her true feelings, "home" meant the little apartment Tori's record company had arranged for her to have as part of a big signing bonus. That had been "home" for four glorious months. Adjusting from frenemies to lovers had been fairly painless for Tori and Jade, especially since they no longer had the pressures of Hollywood Arts. With most of their friends far away, the two women had the chance to just _be_, be together, be who they really were. No facades, just reality. And love.

But then Tori finished her album, and her manager started talking about a two-month tour around the country, opening for some pop star. And increasing the amount of local appearances on talk shows and at malls to promote the tour and the album, and slowly Tori became wrapped up in everything that came with being a rising star in Hollywood. It's not like Jade didn't have anything going on. She had gotten a job as a production assistant at a TV studio, and was writing the next great American horror film. But the fiery ebony-haired girl soon grew tired of memorizing coffee orders, and her script had stayed unchanged for weeks, stuck after the first scene.

And then it had happened.

A terror threat on Hollywood. Some crazed man from some former Soviet Union country Jade couldn't even pronounce hacked the local news station, broadcasting a video throughout the city of Los Angeles stating that the beautiful, passionate, creative, amazing city she had grown up in and come to love was too full of hate, of corruption and debauchery, that it needed to be wiped off the face of the earth. That he had placed bombs in key locations throughout the city, and he was going to set them off in 12 hours.

One of those locations was the studio Tori had been using to finish her album.

Every day Jade woke up, knowing Tori was still alive was a day that she was thankful to the amazing men and women who had worked tirelessly during those twelve hours, and found and dismantled every bomb the crazed man had hidden.

But something had changed in Jade. Watching those men and women, seeing them throw themselves into such a dangerous task so wholeheartedly, without reservation. Something clicked within the dark-haired girl. She wanted that, that sense of purpose. Her passion for the creative arts meant nothing if she couldn't protect those she loved most. If she couldn't protect Tori.

"_Don't worry babe, I'll probably be stationed here, they aren't sending people over to the Middle East anymore, the President made that announcement"_.

But she had been sent to the Middle East, as part of a last-minute security detail for the new hospital being built in Kandahar. It was supposed to be short, six months at the most.

But six months turned into eight, which turned into a year, which turned into eighteen months of pure hell.

Eighteen months of hurried phone calls, too-short Skype sessions, dirty, grimy letters.

But it was almost over.

She just had to make it three more days, and she would be on her way back into the arms of her Latina beauty, the love of her life. _Tori_.

The plane flight back to L.A. was the longest flight Jade had ever taken, both literally and figuratively. At her layover in New York, she took the opportunity to freshen up in the women's bathroom before her connection. Staring at herself in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. Her once porcelain-like skin was now tan, weathered from its continued abuse, and dusted with freckles. Her hair was long, and lighter, bleached from the sun. She had lost weight, and where she had still had a little bit of that softness from childhood before her deployment, she was now all hard muscles and sharp angles, her collarbones jutting out, she could see them even with her fatigues on, peeking out from her undershirt. She certainly didn't look like the Jade West everyone knew and feared. She no longer had that fierce look of a wounded animal, waiting for any opportunity to lash out. Now her emerald eyes showed a quiet strength that only came with seeing the true horrors of war, and surviving. Jade West the artist was no longer, now only Sergeant Jadelyn West of the United States Army looked back from the mirror.

But it didn't matter. None of it mattered. All that was important now was that in five and half hours she would be back in the arms of her love, her Tori.

Tori was supposed to be sequestered to a house in Northern California for the next few months, working on her next album, but when Jade got her orders, that she was to return to the United States and finish her four-year commitment working at the US Army Department building in Los Angeles, the Latina had immediately canceled all her plans, much to the outrage of her manager.

Jade was excited. Not only did she get to return home, but after her month-long leave she got to stay in Los Angeles, working a cushy office job downtown assisting some general.

The flight from New York to LA was fairly uneventful, until it was time to prepare for landing. After the pilot was finished making the appropriate announcements, he added something extra. "Ladies and Gentleman, I would just like to take this moment to personally thank a very special passenger aboard this plane. I have been informed that we have a bonafide hero among us, returning stateside for the first time in almost two years, and I would just like to acknowledge them. Sergeant Jadelyn West, thank you for your service to our country, and welcome home." The plane erupted into applause, and Jade immediately regretted not changing out of her fatigues. Not that she had any other clothes on her, but everyone was looking at her, and she hated it. The older man sitting next to her turned to face the young woman.

"My son just finished his first tour a few months back, it'll be hard, adjusting to being stateside again, but it'll be ok." He said, extending his hand. "Thank you for your service" he added as they shook hands. "Thank you sir" Jade said, a programmed response drilled into her by the Army.

As Jade walked off the plane, her Army bag slung over her shoulder, the Captain and crew of the plane had insisted on shaking her hand, thanking her for her service. She just nodded, a tight smile on her lips. She just wanted to get to Tori.

As she entered the gate area, a roar of yells and applause erupted. Startled, Jade saw a huge crowd of people waiting for her, cheering, holding signs saying "Welcome Home Jade" and so on. The whole gang was there, Beck, Cat, Robbie, Andre, along with what looked like half of Hollywood Arts. Some of her Army friends who had finished deployment before her were there, and she even saw her parents. But they all faded, the faces, the noise, everything went away when she saw Tori.

Dressed in a pair of jeans and an olive drab "Proud Girlfriend of a Soldier" t-shirt, Tori looked the same as she had eighteen months ago. Her hair was a little longer, and she looked like she hadn't slept in a week, but she was still the same beautiful Tori that Jade had fallen in love with all those years ago.

Dropping her bag, Jade ran as fast as she could in her heavy combat boots, while Tori did the same. Sweeping her girlfriend in her arms, Jade spun around before setting Tori down. Gasping for breath, they locked eyes, Tori putting her arms around Jade's shoulders while the Sergeant had hers gingerly grasping the Latina's hips.

"Hey Vega" the no-longer-pale brunette said, giving her signature smirk.

"Sergeant West" the slightly taller girl said, a goofy smile on her face. Jade's smirk widened,

"Ah, fuck it, come here" she said, moving her hands to grasp Tori by the side of the head, bringing her in for an earth-shattering kiss.

She was home.


End file.
